About

Photo by Kimberley Rae Sanderson

Kristina Stanley is the author of the Stone Mountain Mystery Series. Her books have garnered the attention of prestigious crime writing organizations in Canada and England. Crime Writers of Canada nominated her first novel for the Unhanged Arthur award. The Crime Writers’ Association nominated her second novel for the Debut Dagger. Her first short story was published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

That’s my formal bio out of the way. Now let me tell you something about myself and my writing journey . My passions are writing, sailing, skiing and dogs.

I’ve completed three novels in The Stone Mountain Mystery Series: Descent, Blaze, and Avalanche. Look the Other Way is my first stand-alone novel.

The fall of 2011 gave me another mentoring opportunity. The Crime Writers of Canada mentorship program paired me with Garry Ryan. What an amazing experience to have the president of the CWC work with me on my second novel.

I have a combined honours in computer mathematics from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Unrelated to writing? I believe any university degree teaches how to process a large amount of information quickly, decide what’s important and use it. This skill certainly comes in handy for research. After graduating, I began my career with Bell Northern Research, enabling me to live in Japan and Germany.

Kristina on cover of 2006 Panorama Mountain Village brochure and trail map.

Panorama Mountain Village, B.C. was my home for five and half years, where I worked first as the human resources manager and later as the director of human resources, security and guest services. My involvement in the resort’s wildlife management program broadened my knowledge of the wilderness and the animals that live there. Bears, coyotes, moose and cougars make cameo appearances in my books. Living in Panorama helped me find the subject for my novels. I write about Stone Mountain, a fictitious ski resort in the depths of the Purcell Mountains in British Columbia.

Hi Kristina. I have already clicked the “follow” button for your blog. We are sisters of pen and knot. My husband and I have been cruising for three years, and our adventures have run from Maine to Crooked Island in the Bahamas. I write Christian non-fiction and have two blogs I hope you will visit. http://livingontilt.wordpress.com and http://firstmateslog.wordpress.com I plan to take some time to absorb your guidance about editing, because I am working through my author edit of the first draft of a manuscript. I found your blog when Joan Edwards posted it on her Liebster Award post. I am very glad she did. Fair Winds!

Thanks for the follow. It’s nice to hear from a fellow cruiser/writer. I’ll check out your blogs too. I’m an avid reader of Joan’s blog too. Editing for me entails intense concentration, but it’s worth it if it makes the book better. Good luck with your writing and your sailing.

We have been living aboard and sailing for the last four years. I would love to write a story as well but just don’t know where to start.
I am glad I found someone that actually did it… well done to you

Thanks for the kinds words. The only trick to starting is to just write. I started with a woman on a bus travelling to a ski resort. This scene never ended up in my novel, but did get me writing. The first words are the hardest. Good Luck to you.

Kristina, what an amazing find! All as a result of your recent decision to follow Learning from Dogs. Dogs, writing, sailing – what resonances. Anyway, more later but for now can’t resist clicking the ‘follow’ button for you too. Thank you, Paul.

Don’t get your hopes up too high! That is, in terms of articles about dogs. Frequently not mentioned but as my About page explains: “The underlying theme of Learning from Dogs is about truth, integrity, honesty and trust in every way. We use the life of dogs as a metaphor.”

Because dogs are truthful, honest, trustworthy, loving and integrous animals!